ps-im-blind

[ps-im-blind]

Dude. This is literally how I got so much accessibility shit pushed through at my university. On day one it frustrated me that there were no adequate braille signs in several buildings I went to (some were incorrect, others were either formatted or placed incorrectly, and some were just flat out not there at all).

Anyways, so I go to a student org for students in my major, and I apologized for being late and mentioned that it was because the braille sign on their door had the braille above the print instead of under, so I couldn’t find it and passed by the room several times.

Well someone brought it up to the student council for my department, and they brought it up at a university-wife meeting and… well, now we’re getting decent braille signs made!

I never used to understand what “making connections” looked like but it turns out it’s standing at a party and saying “I’ve been thinking about getting into the film industry” and someone saying “Oh, Sarah works in the film industry” and Sarah yelling from accross the room “Did someone say my name?!?!?!”

[ps-im-blind]

Oh how I wish I could get my favorite Barbie movies with audio description…

[ps-im-blind]

Just for once I’d like to tell the gate agents and flight attendants that my folding wheelchair is going into the onboard closet and not have them tell me there’s “no room”. Bitch that’s a wheelchair closet, not a “your bags” closet. Move your damn bags where they belong.

[ps-im-blind]

Gotta love it when Tumblr ads try to tell me I can naturally reverse the macular degeneration that I don’t even have.

[ps-im-blind]

I have some BVI friends who use manual wheelchairs, and most find that guide dogs are actually much more helpful than white canes (please don’t let this discourage you from using one though. Cane skills are still very important.)

when i move out i'll have access to mobility aids. wondering how difficult it would be to operate a manual wheelchair while using a white cane.

[ps-im-blind]

If I may add. Also, those of us that do have a disability and are labeled as a gifted kid due to inspiration porn.

There were kids I went to school with that were so intelligent and creative (many were much more “gifted” than I was), and most of them got overlooked because everyone was too busy gawking at a blind girl who managed to pass her classes and was called “inspirational”

Not to mention, there was an extreme amount of pressure on me to live up to sighted peoples’ expectations. I was expected to work twice as hard, and if a course was inaccessible or too fast paced for me? Switching classes was never really an option. Because in my mind, if I couldn’t at least be good at academics, or “overcome” my disability—if I wasn’t a “smart blind girl” and was just a “blind girl”— then what good was I? It wasn’t enough for me to just exist. Or to have friends and make okay grades and do what I liked and have a normal childhood. If I wasn’t wicked smart, there was just no hope for me having a life worth living.

Not to mention, this also gave me the mentality that I had to “earn” accommodations and accessibility by being “smart.” I’ve had teachers before tell me when I miss several homeworks or make bad grades, “I can’t keep making all these enlarged/braille copies if you’re not going to use them right.” And like, I get it. Teachers have a huge workload, and it can be frustrating to make all these extra materials, only to see no progress. But getting accommodations isn’t about “rewarding me” for being “gifted,” it’s about offering a free and equal education to a blind student. And if the able-bodied kid that never does any work still gets made a copy of class handouts, has a seat in the classroom, and gets treated normally, then a disabled student should get the same treatment.

people misunderstand what ‘gifted kid’ actually means but it’s ok it’s fine it’s cool it’s good

[ps-im-blind]

say what you want about naughty dog and the last of us 2, but they’ve really set the bar when it comes to accessibility options. other game devs should take note. (link to thread)

[ps-im-blind]

sending love out tonight to everyone who is progressively losing their abilities, whether that's movement, ability to walk, eyesight, or hearing.

it's hard to come to terms with the fact that you can't do things that you used to be able to do. I'll be honest, it feels like you're losing control of your life. it can feel very isolating and hopeless. its scary and overwhelming, and it's so hard to deal with.

you are not less than just because you can do less. im proud of you for still being here, and i wish you ease with adjusting to new ways of life. please take care of yourself, i love you.

[ps-im-blind]

[ID: Screenshot of a Tumblr ad that reads, “One odd trick restores your eyes to perfect 20/20 vision”]

[ps-im-blind]

I don't know who needs to hear this but

Disabled minors/minors with chronic conditions,

you're not a financial drain on your family. You are not a financial burden to your family. You deserve the care you need without needing to feel guilty for it.

[ps-im-blind]

"Love taking an 8 minute route that takes an abled 2 minutes"

[ps-im-blind]

Sometimes, the worst thing you can say to someone who is visually impaired is “just use your eyes.”

[ps-im-blind]

I do not see the book. I cannot read it. I have the urge to buy it anyway.

I’m a simple being. I see a book, I want to read it.

[ps-im-blind]

Newborn babies all have terrible eyesight so that their brains don’t have to process as much information. Which I think is a little bit funny.

Nature was like “Look, we get it. There’s a lot of stuff out here. A lot of pores on your dad’s face. You have no idea what a hand is. Don’t worry about the pores for now. Just figure out, in general, what a hand is and then maybe we”ll pump it up to high res.”

[ps-im-blind]

man like. i’d really like people to spread this information because i think there’s a lot of very well-meaning people out there who need to learn this:

pushing someone’s wheelchair without first getting their consent is a violation of that person’s autonomy.

sometimes when i’m going up ramps i’ll struggle a bit, and VERY frequently people will just take the handles and start to push, thinking they’re doing me a favor.

and maybe they would have been doing me a favor… if they had taken the time to get permission. please try to have some sympathy with us: think about how alarming it would be if a complete stranger took control of your body without asking. that is what is going on! when you do that to a person in a wheelchair that is quite literally what you’re doing! 

do not do this, and don’t be surprised if people get angry if you do. a simple “do you need help?” (AND ACTUALLY WAIT FOR THEM TO RESPOND AND LEAVE THEM BE IF THEY DECLINE) will suffice. 

[ps-im-blind]

autumnal asks

lantern - how did you meet your best friend? What were your first impressions of each other?

frost - if you could give some advice to your younger self, what would you say?

maple - is there a hobby / skill that you’ve always wanted to try but never did?

harvest - what fictional character do you most identify with? Why?

fireside - if you had your dream wardrobe, what would it look like?

cider - a food that you disliked as a child but now enjoy?

amber - share an unpopular opinion that you may have.

fog - how well do you think you’d do in a zombie apocalypse scenario?

jack-o-lantern - if you could look like any celebrity, who would you choose?

spice - have you ever encountered a house that you believed to be haunted?

orchard - share one thing that you’d like to happen this autumn.

crow - which school subject do you wish you had an aptitude for?

bonfire - describe your dream house.

cinnamon - if you had to live in a time period different than the present, which would you choose and where?

cobweb - (if you’ve graduated) do you miss high school?

cranberry - what’s one physical feature that you get complimented on?

maize - share the weirdest encounter you’ve had with a stranger on the street.

quilt - how do you take your tea (or coffee)?

pumpkin - do you think that humans are inherently good or bad?

moonlit - are you a neat or messy person? Is your room / house orderly?

flannel - have you ever gone on a bad date? 

cocoa - if you could have any type of hair, what colour and cut would you have?

ghost - is there someone that you miss having in your life?

[ps-im-blind]

Socializing is awkward with you sighted people.

Why is it that you sighted people have such a hard time interacting with people with disabilities? We are human. We're just like you. We don't have anything else different about us. Just approach us as you would normally. There's no reason why you should act any differently around us. People are often under the assumption that we have to be specially treated to make it in this world. Sure, we do things a little bit differently, but that's so we function normally in the society. I honestly understand how it could be, and how you feel. Here are some tips.

1. Don't avoid common terms.

Avoiding common terms like look, watch, read, and see makes conversation weird. Just talk to us normally.

2. Don't avoid visual concepts.

Watching a movie, watching TV, reading, bird/cloud watching, sight seeing, etc.

3. We don't always need help.

Just like you, we can be independent. You dont have to grab our arms, canes, guide dog harness, etc. If we need help, we will ask.

This is a general rule of thumb for blind people. Some people are more okay with one thing than another. Hope this helps. Another thing, you business owners, don't be afraid to employ us. We figure it out. We always do. Everything is a learning curve for everyone. Don't be the reason why such a sad number of disabled people don't have a steady job. Thanks.